Hanover, NH

Ralph K. Carlton—a brilliant, curious, quietly hilarious, and all-around extraordinary human being—died at home on November 30, 2023, of pancreatic cancer. He was 68.

Born in Manhattan on August 7, 1955, to Richard, a television executive, and Blossom (Kleinfeld) Carlton, a homemaker who later worked in the marine insurance industry, Ralph was raised in Ardsley, New York, not far from the original location of Carvel, home of the ice cream cake he preferred for every birthday.

After graduating from Ardsley High School in 1973, Ralph's first job was as a messenger driver. He spent a steamy summer zipping around Manhattan in a box truck, listening to the Watergate hearings on AM radio and seeding a life-long interest in the ins and outs of the daily news cycle.

Ralph studied government at Dartmouth College, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He had never been to New Hampshire before applying to Dartmouth, but he quickly fell for its quiet rural beauty and stayed at Dartmouth to complete an MBA, with distinction, at Amos Tuck School of Business.

Following business school, Ralph moved to Manhattan and worked as a management consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton. In 1981, he sat next to Susan Kaplan at a dinner party in a meet-cute origin story that also involved the Today show, Glamour magazine, and a disco. They married the following summer and built a beautiful and meaningful life together, raising two kind, accomplished daughters.

Ralph's career included stints as an investment banker in mergers and acquisitions at Goldman Sachs in New York, chief financial officer at Idexx Labs in Maine, and vice president of corporate innovation of Coca-Cola in Atlanta. His last and favorite job, as co-CEO of King Arthur Baking Company, brought him back "home" to Hanover ten years ago.

Outside of work, Ralph's interests were deep and broad: a love of loud music (he blew out the speakers in two cars); fine woodworking; threadbare sweaters; dark roast coffee; obscure nonfiction; Grey's Anatomy, seasons 1 through present; word games; kayaking, especially in Maine; and staring out at the water with a pair of binoculars at the ready.

When Ralph first learned of his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, he batted away the idea of a bucket list. For Ralph, the everydayness of life was profound. He took pleasure and solace in the company of his wife, their daughters and partners, and his extended family, with whom he was exceptionally close.

Ralph is survived by his wife of 41 years, Susan Kaplan Carlton; his two daughters, Annie Carlton (Thomas Hunold) of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Jane Carlton (Reed Tucker) of West Boylston, Massachusetts; and a granddaughter, Evelyn Ruby Tucker. He's also survived by his mother, Blossom Carlton; brother, Ken Carlton (Geri Donenberg); sisters Joyce Jaffe (Howard) and Karen Wood (Allan); many loving cousins, nieces, nephews; and friends who were like family. He was preceded in death by his father.

Ralph will be missed beyond measure.

The family thanks the team at Dartmouth Health, especially Dr. Kathryn Hourdequin and Dr. Amelia Cullinan, who helped Ralph navigate his illness with resilience and compassion.

In lieu of flowers, Ralph requested donations be made to Dartmouth Cancer Center: https://dhmcalumdev.hitchcock.org/giving/cancer-care-support or to a Dartmouth fund for outpatient palliative care (type Palliative Care Medicine Fund in the box asking for gift/fund information): https://dhmcalumdev.hitchcock.org/giving/dartmouth-health-other

An online guestbook and photo gallery can be found at: https://memorialsource.com/memorial/ralph-carlton